From their website : “With “Ensemble Robot,” we aspire not only to produce uniquely beautiful and intriguing music for a multitude of audiences in the New England region, but additionally to instruct and inspire would-be artists and engineers at schools, museums and other public forums throughout the Boston and greater New England area. We believe that “Ensemble Robot” will serve to bring together the often-independent artist and engineer communities and stimulate cross-discipline dialogue”.

THE WHIRLYBOT, aka the ROBOCOPTER, is their newest robot, designed and built by Andy Cavatorta, Erik Nugent, and Bill Tremblay, in 2006. With seven tuned whirlies spinning at different speeds controlled by MIDI, the Whirlybot has a range of 2 octaves and sounds like a chorus of voices.

In 1924 American composer George Antheil and artist/filmmaker Fernand Léger collaborated on ‘Ballet Mécanique.’ Inspired by the ever-expanding presence of machines in modern life, the two artists reconstituted the dance form with whirring, grinding mechanical parts overseen by human guides. Although the two parts (score and film) were never married in the artists’ lifetimes, both pieces became landmarks in the their respective fields. Léger’s film has been well restored and is a notable chapter in modern art history, and ‘Ballet Mécanique’ remains Antheil’s most famous orchestration. This December, Paul Lehrman and LEMUR (League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots) will present an all-robotic version of Antheil’s score. Originally written for 16 player pianos, four bass drums, three xylophones, a tam-tam, seven electric bells, a siren, and three different-sized airplane propellers, the ‘all robot version’ replaces any and all human participation with pre-programm! ed robotic knowledge. The piece will play twice a day from December 1-11th at the Wolfsonian Museum at Florida International University, offering rhythmic and evocative respite from the Miami Art Fair shopping season. –Caitlin Jones

Sustainable is comprised of a network of robot water gongs that are linked together by water tubes that allow each tank to receive water from one upstream neighbor, and to pump water into one downstream neighbor. The network is a closed system that distributes water between the members.

Godfried-Willem Raes, born in Gent (Europe) in 1952, is known worldwide as a “musicmaker” in the largest sense of the word. He has built robotic musical instruments of all kinds, sound sculptures and enjoys a nude performance or two, legend!http://www.logosfoundation.org/instrum_gwr/automatons.html

I saw a fun performance by Ujino last night at Artspace for their launch of the biennale.

the installation / performance had alsorts of recycled consumer electricals that you know they would be so easy to find in the gommy in Japan, except most of the larger parts of the install, Car, wardrobes, old mamoth radio /cabinets had Australian components, the artist was even wearing a clovelly hat!. Obviously he has been out here for a while collecting junk, and no one has told me (i now have pile of junk appilances etc). The Performance was a mix between noise and techno with all music made live from the hybrid guitar / blenders and custom pencil records, these controled the switching of lights and revolving of windscreen wipers, more blenders etc. UJINO would get a bass rhythm going (pencil records switching amped saucepans pumping bass speakers installed in cupboards) Ass shaking, then drop the guitar / blender / drill until it became unbearably lovely, i saw a few chin strokers contemplating the end of the silence of painting etc..hohum. Ujino then, let systems running to strap on his motor bike gutiar which was totally out of sync with everything else; headlights spectacularly blinding people infront of him. During the performance he also managed to make a bannana smoothy – (even in the bannana crisis!)

I reccommend checking the install and i may see you at his artists talk. 4.30 pm Saturday 10 June